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Sunday, July 22, 2012

Bev and Larry (Big Dude's Eclectic Ramblings) hosted one of their summer dock parties at "Almost Heaven South" yesterday afternoon. Their dock is not a long plain wooden pier. It is a large covered party barge complete with an outdoor kitchen and can seat up to 25-30 people comfortably.

They were kind enough to invite us and Kathryn and A.J. (Smoky Mountain Cafe). When we discussed the "menu" ahead of time, we all agreed to keep this as a simple cookout. That is a challenge when getting three food bloggers together, because the temptation is to try to show your flare. Then you get stressed out wanting everything to be perfect. We kept true to our word and put the emphasis on fun and socialization and it couldn't have worked out better.

Cathy gets last minute jet ski instructions from Larry.

She's a fast learner!

Beverly, Larry, and Kathryn taste testing the crawfish cheese dip.

Alexis loading up on the cheese dip. It reminded me of Spicy Crab Imperial, quite tasty.

In town it was hot and humid but down on the lake it was comfortable all day.

A.J. and Larry enjoying the late afternoon.

We all spent more time socializing than cooking, I loved that.

Beans, brat tub, brats and Beef Hot Links on the grill.

Yes, I even used a gas grill as part of our keep it simple rule.

Pat telling one of the funny stories that were told all night.

A.J. coming back in from a ride.

Alexis with a mischievous grin.

A.J. showing his sense of high fashion.

Kathryn and Larry hanging out.

Kathy showing off her new bikini ;)

Oh yeah, there was food.

For my "keep it simple" efforts I didn't prepare anything. I just grilled Johnsonville Brats & Beef Hot Links and Bush's Smokehouse Tradition Grillin' Beans, it couldn't have been easier. We also had a great potato salad, the crawfish dip, other chips and dips, and later "white pie".

Brats, beans, and grilled potato salad.

Flag reflection in the lake near twilight.

The fun and talking went on and on....

....until the sun went down and then some.

Alexis extremely "relaxed".

Thanks again to Bev and Larry for a wonderful evening!

[Standard Disclaimer] This post sponsored by pure laziness and a desire to "keep it simple". While Bush Beans and Johnsonville are sponsors of my blog, I received no compensation for this post and paid full retail price for everything mentioned in this post.

In your honor I kept it simple -- bought brats pre-cooked, so they only took 30 seconds in the microwave, cooked fresh corn for two minutes in simmering water, sliced tomatoes and mozzarella in less than a minute and decided to save my potato salad for tomorrow -- 1.5 lb boiled red or other small potatoes [I use whatever's on sale] cut in half, with a can of artichoke hearts chopped, one T. olive oil, 1-2 T. fresh dill, green onion to taste, tossed with 6 T of mayo plus 2 T of dijon or other mustard [experiment!!] -- good hot or cold.

Here's my 2 cents: You at a gas grill...lucky guy! That made my heart swell! Alexis is very pretty - again, lucky guy! The dude in the hat...he rocks it! Grilled potato salad? You tempt but no recipe?? White pie?!? What the heck?? How many snakes did you see in the water? Looked like a lot of fun!